On August 29, the U.S. State Department announced that the President of the Palestinian National Authority, President Abbas and other Palestinian officials, who are planning to visit the United Nations in September, refused to issue visas or cancel their visas. The United Nations General Assembly will discuss the “two-country plan” on the Palestinian issue in September, including France, Britain, Australia and other countries, and that the European Union should declare its readiness to recognize the Palestinian state during this period. On the US move, the Palestinian National Authority issued a statement stating that the U.S. move “violates international law and the United Nations Headquarters Agreement”.
Violation of the United Nations Headquarters Agreement
The US State Department announced on August 29 that Secretary of State Rubio had ordered the denial or cancellation of visas for about 80 officials of Mr. Abbas and the Palestinian Authority "in response to the upcoming UN General Assembly", according to Agence France-Presse. The US claimed that the visas of Abbas and Palestinian officials were denied or cancelled because "the Trump administration has been clear: the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, which undermine the prospects for peace, pose a threat to our national security interests". The statement also publicly demanded that the Palestinians abandon "efforts to secure unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state" by the international community.
The Palestinian National Authority issued a statement on the same day, saying that the Palestinian side was "deeply regretted and shocked" by this decision of the United States, which "violated international law and the United Nations Headquarters Agreement", "especially since Palestine is an observer state of the United Nations".
A spokesperson for the Palestinian presidential palace said the Palestinians "call on the US government to reverse this decision, which will only increase tensions and escalate the situation". The spokesperson said the Palestinians were in contact with Arab and other countries to ask the international community to pressure the US to change its approach, adding that "this effort will continue uninterrupted".
The 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly is scheduled to be held in September this year at the United Nations headquarters in New York. France, Britain, Australia and Canada have previously publicly announced that they are considering recognizing the State of Palestine during this year’s General Assembly. According to Reuters, France and Saudi Arabia will host a high-level meeting on the theme of the “Two-State Programme” on September 22, with Britain, France, Australia and other countries expected to formally recognize the State of Palestine at this high-level meeting.
According to the Axios website on August 30, sources said the Trump administration was trying to prevent Abbas from issuing the “Declaration of Independence” during the UN General Assembly speech, which is an initiative that the Palestinian side is considering. The US refusal to issue or cancel visas was suggested by Israeli Foreign Secretary Sal during a meeting with Rubio in Washington yesterday. Informed sources revealed that Sal asked Rubio to stop issuing visas to the Palestinian delegation. Following the U.S. statement, Sal welcomed the US decision on social media and thanked the Trump administration “for taking bold steps and backing Israel again.”
Many countries have condemned
The UN Secretary-General’s spokesman, Diaric, said the United Nations would consult with the U.S. Secretary-General on the basis of the United Nations Headquarters Agreement signed by the two sides and that it was important for all UN member states and observers to attend the meeting.Diaric said that given that France and Saudi Arabia will hold high-level meetings on the “two-country plan” during the UN General Assembly, Guterres considered Abbas’ presence “appropriate.”
Many countries condemned the U.S. decision. On August 30, several European foreign ministers attending the EU Foreign Ministers 'Meeting in Copenhagen criticized the U.S. decision. Irish Foreign Minister Harris said the EU should protest the decision "in the strongest terms." Spanish Foreign Minister Alvarez said the US approach was "unacceptable." French Foreign Minister Barrow told reporters that the United Nations General Assembly "should not be subject to any access restrictions."
According to Spanish state television, Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez issued a statement saying that the U.S. government's approach was "unfair" and that "Palestine has the right to make its voice heard in the United Nations and all international forums." He also said he had spoken with Abbas and expressed Spain's support for him.
“The U.S. Government Will Arms Visa”
"The U.S. government weaponizes visas." The Amsterdam News in New York said that for the U.S. government, visas are no longer a travel document, but a political weapon, a crude means of punishment and control. In many African and Latin American countries, officials face similar sanctions for unreasonable U.S. demands, such as failing to "do more" to stop immigration to the United States or maintain ties with Cuba. Previously, the United States ordered the revocation of the visas of Brazilian Supreme Court judges and their relatives on the grounds that they believed Brazil had carried out "political persecution" against former President Bolsonaro.
The United States has abused the prerogatives of the host country of the United Nations headquarters to refuse to issue visas to officials from many countries, shaking its credibility as a host. In July this year, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the Russian delegation were unable to attend UN meetings due to visa problems. Lavrov accused the United States of having great problems in performing its functions as the host country of the UN headquarters, and Russia suggested that the UN headquarters should be relocated. Former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also criticized the US for refusing visas to Iranian diplomats, saying that "the United Nations should not become a private living room of the United States". Due to the weaponization of visas by the United States, long-term arrears in UN dues and repeated unilateralist acts such as "withdrawal", the United Nations has had to adopt a "decentralized" strategy. The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, announced in August this year that UNICEF, UN Women and other UN agencies will move to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, by 2026.
The US website CNBC said that under the United Nations Headquarters Agreement signed by the United Nations and the United States in 1947, the United States "must allow foreign diplomats to enter the United Nations headquarters". However, the United States claims that the United States can refuse the visa for reasons such as "security, extremism and foreign policy". In 1988, the United States refused to issue a visa to Arafat, the leader of the PLO, and the United Nations General Assembly met in Geneva rather than New York that year so that Arafat could attend and speak. According to Reuters, the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations, Mansour, said that Abbas still intends to lead a delegation to the United Nations high-level meeting and speak.